For the Love of Her Dragon

by Julia Mills

  “What do you think you are doing, Kyra? We’re talking to Rayne and trying to get a hold of Royce. Wait, just a fucking minute,” he scolded.

  She glanced over his shoulder to see Lance’s devil-may-care attitude gone, replaced by a warrior, out for blood, ready to protect one of his own. It was intimidating to say the least, but she refused to back down. Royce needed their help. The threat was real and growing every second.

  “Hurry,” was all she could get out before she was deposited back on the same damn rock and told to stay put.

  Thank the Goddess she didn’t have to wait long. Lance grabbed the large duffel she’d dropped on the ground and reached for her hand, “We can’t get Royce to answer. Rayne is on his way to the Elders. Come on, we’re taking you back to the lair. You can stay with Kyndel and Grace while we go see what the hell is going on.”

  “No fucking way!” she screamed. “There is absolutely no way you are leaving me to sit at home like the ‘little woman’. Whatever is threatening him is magical. I could feel it and the last time I checked, dragon man, I’m the magical expert around here.”

  “There is no way in hell we’re taking you anywhere near that kind of danger or that piece of shit traitor,” Lance yelled back as he grabbed for the arm she had pulled from his grasp.

  As soon as his fingers touched her skin, a powerful shock caused him to cry out, “WHAT THE FUCK?” He pulled back his hand, looked at his fingers, and then at her with suspicion.

  Any other time she would have been embarrassed that her anxiety and fear had caused her to use her powers without conscious thought, but not this time. The man that she was supposed to spend her life with was in trouble and she knew with all certainty that she could save him. Remembering what she’d told the last group of teenage witches that she had ever trained, ‘Suck it up Buttercup, you’re a real witch now’, all those years ago, she squared her shoulders and looked a man she would otherwise call friend straight in the eyes.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you, but I’m not sorry it happened. I am a witch, in case you forgot,” she poked him in the shoulder for added effect. “And whatever or whoever is trying to hurt Royce is also trying to hurt all the people around him,” she poked him again and this time he had the decency to at least take a step back.

  “They are using magic. Strong,”…poke…“powerful,”...poke…“old magic. I have a duty to protect them. So we can play this your way and I’ll just sneak out and do what I can by myself…” she placed both hands on her hips. “Or we can work together. Either way I. am. going.” Not waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel, threw her back pack over her shoulder, and stomped in the direction of their SUV. At this point she didn’t give a shit if they followed or not, she was going to save Royce. She was going to save them all and then she just might kick her supposed mate’s ass for getting into trouble in the first place.

  On the ride back to the lair, she explained in vivid detail everything she had seen in her vision while Devon relayed the information to Rayne and the other Guardsmen, making sure they were ready to head out as soon as she and the guys returned. She found out along the way that the big dude she’d seen standing next to Royce was his older brother, the leader of his own clan. Well, hell, she thought to herself, more family to deal with. Lance went on to tell her that Royce had gone back to the clan of his birth and for the first time in thirteen days she knew where he was. She almost laughed out loud as she thought, Damn, little ole me sent the big ole dragon man running home.

  Her levity immediately turned to sadness when she realized he really was running from her. All those silly little dreams about someone that would love her unconditionally and want nothing more than for her to love him back were bullshit. Sure, she’d seen firsthand that it could happen. She thought about Lance and Sam and all the other mated couples she’d met while staying with their clan and knew in her heart it was possible, but for some reason it wasn’t in the cards for her and Royce.

  A sadness weighed her down as they rounded the corner and turned onto the barely visible dirt road that led to the dragon shifter’s lair, but Kyra was a fighter. She had been through worse things and figured worse was still to come, so she shoved her sadness aside. It was time to show these cavemen what a girl with some magic could do. Yeah, sure they were bigger, but hadn’t they heard about dynamite in small packages?

  ~~~~~~~

  Andrew had spent the last two weeks plotting and planning, amassing magic from every source he could find. It was apparent that Master Eaton and his followers were still doing blood sacrifices from the amount of magic buzzing through them. He could see their dark glowing auras and was sure they could light up a small city.

  Thankfully, John had located a Siphoning Spell that allowed him to pull a little from each wizard within close proximity without detection. For the first time, he had more black magic flowing through his body than he could ever remember, and unlike before, his newly acquired power did not snuff out his dragon senses. On the contrary, the beautifully pure dragon magic seemed to simply avoid the taint of the dark, almost like the two polar opposite powers had decided to coexist within him.

  He’d always been told he would possess extraordinary abilities because he had been born a “Special One”. The ancient text John had acquired for him confirmed it and had only strengthened his resolve to do whatever it took to exact his revenge. The text was written in the old language, but thankfully, he and John had found another book that helped with the translation. The more he learned, the more fascinated he became. Just yesterday he had translated the beginnings of the Prophecy. He was intrigued when he recognized the word ‘sorceress’ and couldn’t wait to learn more.

  He finished packing his supplies just as a knock at the door sounded outside his wing of the mansion he shared with Master Eaton, Mr. A, and a handful of their followers. When he had first decided to move in with the leader of the most powerful wizards in the country and the State’s Attorney turned crime boss that specialized in human trafficking, he’d had his doubts, but with the help of his right-hand man and some very handy surveillance equipment, they were making great headway towards achieving his plans for revenge.

  “Come in,” he called out, knowing it was Andy, one of Master Eaton’s favorite wizards, from the beat of his heart and the smell of bacon on his clothes. Andy had been appointed the unofficial cook of the mansion and it seemed bacon was always on the menu.

  The door opened and the small round face with puffy pink cheeks he was expecting came into view. “Good morning, Mr. O’Brien. Master Eaton wanted you to know that everyone is loaded and the jet is scheduled to take off in two hours,” the small chubby wizard spoke without ever once meeting Andrew’s eyes. Poor little man was scared shitless and Andrew loved every damn minute of it. Wielding the power he possessed was intoxicating, and knowing that by tomorrow, at this same time, one of the men he held responsible for all he had endured would be removed from the earth and sent to the Heavens where they belonged. It was a shame that the others wouldn’t be there to see it happen but that couldn’t be helped. He needed to strike while the iron was hot and prove to himself along with everyone else that he could take down a dragon shifter. Hell, they all doubted their existence and thought he was insane. Wouldn’t they shit their pants if he revealed they already knew one…him? He laughed to himself as he followed Andy down the corridor and out the front door to one of the fifty or so black SUVs the crime boss owned.

  He rode to the private airfield in silence, thankful the others had agreed to let him ride alone, save the driver. Thinking over his plan, he made sure every ‘I’ was dotted and every ‘T’ crossed. There would be no second chance. They had to get in, destroy the Blue Thunder Clan, and get out without a trace. It would be the one time he would be able to strike without any warning.

  Ever since Kyra had been captured by the Guard all those months ago, he had been keeping the last Cloaking amulet powered up with an infusion of dragon magic and black magic. Several times
he’d had John scry for him to be sure it was working. He had to believe it was the purity of his returning dragon magic that kept it going. The little witch had mentioned that he had bastardized her Earth magic, creating something altogether different and unknown. He knew he should feel bad for deceiving her after all she had done to help him, even if he had lied through his teeth to get what he wanted. But knowing that she had taken up with the Dragon Guard against him eliminated any guilt he felt.

  Pulled from his thoughts when the SUV stopped, he gathered his things and climbed out onto the abandoned airstrip. There, sitting before him, was the luxury jet Mr. A had ‘acquired’ on a recent ‘business trip’. Andrew had absolutely no idea where the known crime boss and basic blight upon the earth went for his business, or what exactly occurred there, but as long as it got Andrew what he wanted he would continue to turn a blind eye and reap the benefits.

  “Welcome, Mr. O’Brien,” Adrienne, a cute young brunette with deep blue eyes that served as Mr. A’s executive assistant chirped as he stepped onto the charcoal gray carpet leading the way to the stairs into the plane.

  “Hello, Adrienne and thank you,” he absently responded, while another of the hundreds of lackeys the mobster seemed to always have available relieved him of his bag.

  Unsure whether he should let something so important out of his sight, he held onto the handle for just a beat and then decided he didn’t want to call too much attention to his supplies, so he said, “Please make sure that is stowed over my seat.” The young man nodded his understanding and preceded Andrew up the steps.

  “Have a safe trip, Mr. O’Brien. See you when you return,” Adrienne called out as he entered the plane. Not for the first time, he wondered how Adrienne, a sweet girl, had gotten mixed up with such a horrible man, but quickly decided he was no one to judge and didn’t care. She was a grown adult and not his to worry about. The little human was of no consequence to his plans and therefore expendable. However, that did not mean he wouldn’t mess with her mind for fun. And just to show himself he could, he looked over his shoulder and smiled, pleased to see her blush at his attention. He shrugged; maybe he could find a way for her to be useful somewhere down the line, if for nothing more than to look at.

  All thoughts of silly young girls flew from his mind at the first glimpse of the empty plane before him. His face must have mirrored the questions in his mind because the young man that had carried his bag onto the plane answered his unspoken inquiry, “Mr. A and Master Eaton were delayed and will be here momentarily. Can I get you a drink and some hors d’oeuvres?”

  “No, thank you. I’ll just grab a seat and read while I wait,” Andrew responded, less than thrilled at the delay.

  Not only was it terribly inconvenient, not to mention rude, to be left sitting and waiting, but he detested the fact that they were out doing something he knew absolutely nothing about. He trusted no one, least of all his ‘partners’. It was obvious none of them told the other two the whole story or the whole truth about anything they did or their ultimate goal. Each man had his own agenda and would do whatever it took to grab the prize at the end of their respective journeys.

  Andrew settled into a seat at the very rear of the plane with the ancient text opened in his lap. It had been covered and made to look like any ordinary book to avoid any unnecessary questions. No one could know that he had possession of one of the most ancient and dangerous volumes of spells, prophecies, and supernatural knowledge ever written. It was only by luck that John had overheard a few young witches talking about it and had been able to befriend them long enough to get into their leader’s home and steal the book. His protégé had assured him that he had not been seen, but further warned that the Grand Priestess he had liberated the book from was one of the most powerful he had ever encountered and would definitely try to get it back. Just another reason he was thrilled his amulet was keeping him hidden from everyone.

  It was almost forty-five minutes later when he finally heard the sound of people approaching the plane. Before he could return the book to his bag, Mr. A entered the plane with Master Eaton, several wizards, and a few of his thugs in tow. Master Eaton was the first to speak and actually had the decency to apologize, “Sorry, we are late. We were unavoidably detained, but the cargo is being loaded and we will be in the air in the next twenty minutes.”

  “No need to explain, Eaton, Andrew knows there are many moving parts to all our plans and delays are to be expected. Get buckled in so we can have a drink and enjoy our flight.”

  The asshole actually had the nerve to wink in Andrew’s direction like they were friends. If the scumbag had not been essential to all his plans, Andrew would have killed him where he stood, but as it was, he needed him for at least two more weeks. If all went well, as soon as the next full moon was high in the sky, there would be nothing any of them could do to stop him. Until then, he would bide his time, put up with all their bullshit, and revel in the moment he watched the life drain out of their useless bodies.

  Deciding to play along, he smiled, knowing it did not reach his eyes and said, “Absolutely. No harm done. I was able to catch up on some much needed reading.”

  Master Eaton looked from one man to the other, his fear from the building tension and innuendos that were being freely tossed around was palpable. In an effort to end the pissing contest that Mr. A seemed to perpetually be ready for, Andrew chuckled and motioned towards the flight attendants. “Besides I have been tortured with the tantalizing aroma coming from the galley and would love to have a bite to eat and a drink while we wait to get our voyage underway.”

  Seemingly pacified, and the tension level decreasing by the second, everyone took a seat while the attendants served the drinks and passed around an extravagant assortment of hors d’oeuvres. Eating and drinking with a plane full of idiots ranked right up there with having all his teeth pulled without anesthetic, but it was a means to an end and he would do whatever it took to destroy everyone that betrayed him. He took comfort in the fact that in just sixteen days the moon would be full, and as long as things went according to plan, he would have all the power he needed to deliver the vengeance those fucking dragon assholes deserved. All he had to do was play the part, and the Universe knew he was good at playing his part.

  ~~~~~~~

  There was absolutely no way she could have prepared herself for a flight to the coast of an entirely different country on the back of a dragon. When they had reached the lair, all the Guardsmen had been in the clearing behind Rayne’s home, ready to transform and head out to stop whatever plan Andrew was cooking up. She had tried repeatedly, using every spell and magical charm she could think of, to get another read on Andrew, but the bastard had either charged his Cloaking amulet or found another way to avoid her detection. The only other thing she could think of was that he was surrounded by other magical beings and their magic was essentially spilling onto him, keeping him hidden. She decided that as soon as they landed, she would do a Detection spell to see if she could locate any high concentrations of black magic. That way she would be able to track the people he was with and the guys could catch him before he could hurt Royce or any of the innocent people the fucking traitor cared nothing about.

  Rayne had told them that no one, not even Carrick, the Head Elder, had been able to get a response from Royce or his brothers, making them believe that something or someone was blocking their communication. Thankfully, there was a special connection between all the dragons that shared a blood bond, fueled by their dragon magic, that let them know Royce was still alive, not in what condition, just that he was alive.

  She had watched as the mated Guardsmen kissed their loved ones goodbye unable to stop the heaviness that settled in and around her heart. That was how she had always imagined a mate would be…loving and caring and totally devoted. Deciding her pity party should wait until everyone was safe and she was off somewhere by herself, preferably at least a hundred miles from all things dragon, she had bent down to give the waiting Syd
ney a kiss on the head. There was just something about the little blonde-haired beauty that brightened even the darkest moments. After everyone had been hugged, kissed, and wished a safe trip, Lance asked if she was hitching a ride with him or taking her own broom. Everyone laughed and some of the sadness fell away from the group. Lance had a way of making everyone laugh, even when faced with eminent danger.

  The men had walked about a hundred yards farther into the clearing, and from one moment to the next, the men she knew became the dragons she had imagined. Two shimmering silver and black, one striking red, one glimmering gold, and a brilliant white – all majestic, all fierce, all exuding more power and magic than she had ever experienced, and all ready to do whatever it took to protect one of their own.

  The strange feeling that only came when the Guard were using their mind speak slid through her mind. A hand on her shoulder made her jump just before Sam said, “Lance is ready.” And then the beautiful doctor did something completely surprising; she hugged Kyra. A real hug that without words let her know that she was truly accepted into their family…that she mattered. It took all her control not to let the tears she felt welling up fall. As soon as Sam let go, Kyra turned away and all but ran towards the dragons. Nothing had ever touched her like that one simple gesture.

  Their flight had been amazing and her enhanced night vision had definitely come in handy. Flying over the open water in the middle of night had been amazing. She’d seen whales, dolphins, and all kinds of sea creatures she’d only ever seen in books and movies. She felt like a little kid on her first grade field trip, not that she had ever been on a field trip or even to a school, but she had heard about them. There was no way she could have stopped the giggles that bubbled over even though she knew the Guardsmen could hear. It might have been the only chance she would ever get to ride a dragon and she was damn sure going to make the most of it.